


Hell and the things that get you killed

by Doctorpondin221b



Category: The Walking Dead (Comics), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-22 20:57:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6093835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doctorpondin221b/pseuds/Doctorpondin221b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aaron was nine when her parents died. Monsters killed her parents and then her and her twin bother Andrew were alone. They were stuck in Atlanta alone, nothing to protect them. She didn't know what to do. She had always been the strong one but she was sure that they were both going to die, that was until the group saved them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hell and the things that get you killed

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, first walking dead fanfic and first one on Ao3. Any opinions?

“Andrew, shut up!” Aaron ordered. 

“What?” Andrew whispered “What is it?”

“I’m not sure. I can hear feet shuffling.” She told him.

“Are the monsters coming?” Andrew asked. 

“Yeah. I think so.” She told him. He cowered behind her. She heard the door bang open and she hid further behind the filing cabinet.

She sat quietly, her brother behind her. They listened intently. Then she heard talking.

"He took out two walkers." One voice said.

"Wait look! The window is open." Another said. They began to walk towards the window right next to Andrew and her.

"He left the building, why wou-" The man stopped. He saw her and Andrew. There was a moment of silence and surprise before the man raised a crossbow at them. Aaron flinched and covered her brother. Andrew hid behind her further. 

“Daryl, there just kids!” one man said. Aaron opened her eyes and saw him still holding the crossbow but he still hadn’t shot them. 

“Daryl! Put it down!” The man who ordered him this time was wearing a sheriff’s uniform which put Aaron and Andrew slightly at ease. Their mother had always told them to trust the cops. 

The man, Daryl, waited another moment before putting the crossbow down. He glared at them and then turned to look at the ‘monsters’ as Aaron and Andrew had been calling them.

“Come on out, we won’t hurt you.” A man said. This man was not the sheriff. They looked at each other and then stepped forward. 

“What are your names?” The cop asked. She waited a moment before speaking.

“Well, I’m Aaron and this is my brother Andrew.” Aaron introduced. The men stared at them and then the sheriff stepped forward, keeping enough distance between him and them so they weren’t uncomfortable.

“Hello, I’m Rick.” The cop said.

“I’m Glenn.” The next man said cheerfully, well as cheerfully as you’d expect at then end of the world.

There was a pause. They sat staring at the black man, who was cleaning the blood off his knife. He looked up and realized that they were all staring at him.

“Oh, me? I’m T-Dawg.” He said, before going back to his knife again. He finished wiping off the blood then put it down.

“Daryl.” The last one grumbled. He was now inspecting the walkers, still not looking at the kids in the room. There was a pause. 

“How old are you?" Rick continued

"Nine." Andrew told them.

"Both of you?" Rick asked them

"We're twins." Aaron said. She was nervous about telling random people stuff about her but they seemed nice enough. Also her and Andrew didn't really have anything to loose, since the world just so happened to have ended. Rick opened his mouth to say something else but Daryl cut him off.

“Did you kill those walkers?” Daryl asked angrily. Andrew didn’t answer mostly out of fear. Aaron didn’t answer mostly out defiance. “Did you?!” 

“No.” Aaron said, defiantly, slightly getting into his face

“No sir.” Andrew said quietly

"Who did?” Glenn asked.

“I don’t know.” Andrew said

“How do you not know?” Daryl asked him, getting close to Andrews face. Aaron pushed her way in between them.

“He said he didn’t know because he doesn’t know. Some guy ran in here. He was bleeding and he seemed loopy. He only had one hand, too. He started ranting, calling that one monster the ‘n’ word. Then he called the girl a whore. After that he pushed Andrew and me out of his way and stumbled out the window.”

“You saw Merle?” Daryl asked

“Don’t know. Is Merle a one handed, loud mouth racist slash sexist?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah.” Daryl said

“Then yes. He walked out the window then out towards the street.” Andrew said.

“Well, more like limped.” Aaron continued. Daryl stepped towards the window and began to leave.

“Hey, slow down!” Rick yelled.

“I’m gonna go find him, you sorry sons-of-bitches stay here.” Daryl said

“We are sticking together!” Rick said. A fight then ensued. They fought about Daryl going out. He said he could go out by himself and everyone disagreed. Then it turned into a conversation about a bag of guns. 

“The guns by the tank?” Aaron asked. All the men’s head snapped towards her.

“You saw the guns?” Daryl asked her. She nodded her head. 

“Yeah. I saw them out the window this morning before Merle barged in here?” Aaron told them

“Are they still there, by the tank?” Glenn asked 

“They were two or so hours ago.” Andrew said. The men began to make a plan to retrieve the guns, but they kept having to restart when they came up with problems. 

“Excuse me?” Andrew said, almost in a whisper. The men continued talking “Excuse me?” This was just as quiet, if not more.

“Hey!” Aaron yelled. They all stopped and looked at her. “Andrew has something he would like to say and you are all going to listen to him.” 

“Thank you.” He said quietly. Then he turned to the guys. “I have a plan.” 

So Andrew told them the plan, separating everyone into sections and telling them where to go. Daryl and Glenn in one group and Rick with T-Dawg in another. Aaron and Andrew would stay out of the way. All agree that the plan worked so they set it into motion. 

Aaron was watching from her look out spot when she saw the teenager appear in the alleyway. 

“Oh no.” She whispered. She climbed down the ladder and she sprinted towards the alleyway. She heard yelling and commotion. She stopped in the alley to see Glenn being carried away. 

“Glenn!” She ran forward but she was grabbed. At first she thought might have been Daryl but when she looked up it was someone else she didn’t know. She screamed but they dragged her to a car and threw her in the backseat next to Glenn. One man sat in the driver seat while another sat in the passenger seat, holding a gun on her and Glenn. He pulled Aaron into him and and he hid her from the gun. She didn’t really know him that well but at the moment, she was trusting him to save her life.

Before they arrived at the final destination, bags were thrown over their heads and their hands were bound. They were tousled around and they were forced to walk. She heard talking, but it was in Spanish so she didn’t understand it. 

When the bag was removed she was standing on the edge of a roof. She looked down to see the men she had just met, trying to make a deal to get them back. She looked right at Daryl, her eye pleading for him to save her. 

"You let that girl go before I take one of you're eyes out!" Daryl yelled. He looked up and instead of letting her go free they inched her closer to the edge.

"Don't think so, unless you want her to die. Come back with my guns and we’ll let em’ go or be ready to fight." They put the bag on her head and then pulled her away.  
Then she was escorted somewhere else. This time, after a long amount of walking, the bags and restraints were removed. She looked around and she saw an old folks home. There were no threats, everything was fine. She was extremely confused. 

“What’s happening??” Aaron asked. One man walked up to her and began checking her cuts and scrapes.

“We're sorry about the threats. We really need those guns and hostages seemed like the best way to get them." He told her. She put the rest of the pieces together. 

The next time she saw Rick, T-Dawg, Daryl, and Andrew she had been looking at a man who was having an asthma attack and they were brought back to where she was. She saw them and immediately hugged Andrew tight. 

“Thank god you’re alright!” He said. Aaron smiled. 

As they left the building, Rick was telling them about the camp. Aaron grabbed Daryl's hand as a way to say thanks. He looked at her with a look of confusion but he didn't let go. They reached the spot where the truck was supposed to be but it wasn’t there. The truck was gone.

“Where did it go? We left it right here!” Glenn yelled

“Merle.” Daryl mumbled 

So they had to run all the way back to the camp the men had been staying at. It took them hours and when they finally got there all they heard gunshots and screaming. They ran in, guns blazing but Aaron stayed back. She was scared. She looked around for her brother but she couldn’t see him. In fact, she couldn’t see anything but darkness and flesh eating monsters.

She was looking around frantically when a walker came at her. She looked around for something to kill it with but she couldn’t find anything, only leaves. She was terrified so she called the first name that came to mind.

"DARYL!" She screamed. For a moment nothing then the monster was stabbed in the head. Aaron shut her eyes and flinched. She heard it drop and she opened her eyes to see Daryl. He looked at her for a moment, then without warning, she leaped onto him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He didn't react for a moment and then he hugged back. She sobbed into his neck.

Daryl was confused. He saw this girl and her brother and he wanted protect them. He didn't understand but they seemed important. It was clear that both kids were scared and Daryl felt like he should protect them.

That was only the beginning.

The three of them only grew closer and closer. Aaron and Andrew wanted to kill Andrea when she accidentally shot Daryl and they were crying when they thought he was dead. They had come to love him. He was there for them when Sophia died. She had been Aarons best friend and Daryl comforted her when she was gone. He brought them to the prison and held them when they got scared. And when he went on a run Andrew wanted to go with him because he wanted to make sure he would be okay. Daryl said no. Andrew left anyways.

Aaron felt sick. She was going to collapse into a completely useless ball soon, she knew that. She just couldn't take it anymore. She was staring at the blood covered ceiling that was above the bed of her cell. She was expecting her brother home from his run soon.

The issue was he wasn't coming home.

She felt like she did the day her dad went out for milk. She laid on her bed, waiting for him to come home so she could eat her cereal, but he never did. At least not how she had expected.

Seeing her dad rip her moms throat out was horrifying and she was only 9 then, making it all worse. Her and her brother’s innocence was gone in an instant.

Snap

Just like that. That's how long it took to lose someone you love in this world.

She and Andrew would have died without the group and without Daryl. She wanted to see them both and hug them and make sure they were okay. She fell asleep with that thought on her mind.

Hours passed before the horrifying scene.

Aaron was awoken by a loud terrified scream. She jumped off her bed and ran outside where the scream had come from. She could see everyone was there and they were crying. She couldn't see what was going on. She was looking in between the bodies of other people blocking her path. She weaved herself through them.

Maggie was curled up against Glenn. Rick was holding Judith and Carl was next to him. Hershel held Beth close as she cried. She was worried. What could have happened that elicited this?

She stepped forward and Carl tried to stop her.

"What? Carl, what is happening?"

"I'm sorry." It was all he said. She wasn't just worried anymore; she was scared to the bone. What was happening? She peered around him to see what it was.

Then she saw him.

Andrew had finally come home, but he wasn't Andrew anymore. He was a dead, horrifying, cannibalistic version of Andrew and one she wished she had gone her whole life without seeing.

It was awful, watching the man she had began to see as her father have to shoot the boy he had begun to see as his son in the head.

"Daryl." She said. Daryl turned to face her, lifting Andrews body in his arms. She collapsed on to the ground, Carl barley catching her. She sobbed on the grass and Carl held her.

"He's dead. He's gone. He was all I had left!" She claimed.

"That's not true. You have me and Daryl and everyone here. We all love you. He will never be all you had left." Carl responded

"Carl, he's gone. My brother is dead and he is never coming back" She cried.

"I know. I'm so sorry." Carl apologized. She cried even more. She couldn't help it. She just wanted to die, right there and then. She wanted to pain to be over.

An hour later she was digging a hole with Daryl. Others had tried to help but Daryl declined quietly. It was too personal. His son was dead and it was up to him and his daughter to honor his death. 

He felt awful, the little girl he had taken under his wing was now a broken teenager who he couldn't fix.

Daryl stopped digging and stuck his shovel in the dirt and she continued to dig the hole. She looked at him and then she looked back down to where she was digging. Daryl was surprised to see how well she was handling everything. She only cried once, five minutes and then she was done. She didn't cry anymore. She just grabbed a shovel and she began to dig and she didn't look to be stopping anytime soon.

"I'm sorry." Daryl apologized. She stared blankly at him.

"For what?" She asked him, continuing to dig.

"I didn't want him to go on the group run. That's why he snuck out. Maybe if I had let him go on the run with me he would have been ok. I could have protected him. Maybe he wouldn't be dead if I had just let him go on the run. And I'm sorry I shot him."

"You had no choice. He was already dead and if you would have let him go he probably still would have died because he was bound to die. We all are."

"Hey, you stop that! Andrew never would have allowed you to talk like that and I certainly won't either." Daryl said. She stared at him, just for a moment.

"You're gonna make it out." He told her.

That was her breaking point. She had tried to be strong. She had cried already, she had to be strong now but she couldn't. It hurt too much. Her brother was dead. Her rock, he was dead.

She began to sob in the dirt. Daryl dropped his shovel and he ran to her. He scooped her up and he held her, sitting in the hole in the ground.

They ended up finishing that hole about 2 hours later and then they buried him in it. Everyone came out during the night with a flower in hand. It was beautiful, everyone saying goodbye to him. He was so young and they were all going to miss him, her and Daryl the most.

The world had taken away the only person Aaron felt she had and it left her alone. She hadn't realized how bad being alone would be until he was gone.

It was the middle of the night as she was staring at the ceiling again. She was alone in a cell and she had never felt so shitty in her life, and she watched her dad kill her mom in front of her then she killed him.

She had never been alone. Even after she had taken a knife to her dad’s chest, and then his head when that didn't work, Andrew was still right there. He convinced her that she was still a good person and that he was not their dad but he was just a monster who looked like there dad. She cried in his arms and he held her.

That night, while laying alone in an empty cell, she realized that she had failed to save Andrew and her punishment was being alone.

She and Andrew had always been together. They had slept in the same room, or tent or cell as the recent days had provided, since the day they were born. She had never been alone for even a moment and now here she was, alone in her own room and she hated it.

After a few hours had passed of her just laying there she decided she could not sleep in that bunk by herself. She was wandering when she saw Daryl, up in his perch, staring out.

"What are you doing up?" She asked him.

"Couldn't sleep. You?" He called down.

"Couldn't sleep either. It was too quiet in there." She responded

"Wanna come up here?" He asked. She thought for a moment before walking up the stairs and sitting down next to him.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"I just can stop thinking about him." Daryl told her She laid her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her shoulder and then pulled her closer.

"Me neither." She admitted. Daryl smiled sadly.

"Everything is changing again." She continued. Daryl looked down at her.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I just mean we felt safe. Like we wouldn't loose anyone for a while but then we did and it was my twin. My brother was the one who died." She said. He wrapped both arm around her and pulled her into his chest.

"I'm sorry." Was the only thing he said. They sat silently for a few moments before she spoke up.

"Can I ask you something?" Aaron asked pulling her head off his chest to look at him. He looked down at her.

"Of course." He responded.

"Would you mind if I maybe- you know what, never mind." She shook her head.

"No just ask." He insisted.

"Would you mind if I called you dad?" She asked.

"What?" He asked after a moment.

"If I called you dad, would that be okay?" Aaron asked again. Daryl was quiet. He looked at her like she was crazy and she took that as a sign.

"You know what, it's stupid. I'm sorry. I never should have asked." She attempted to wiggle out of his arm but he held her tighter.

"Of course you can call me dad I mean that's what I am"

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes. Really. The only reason I was confused was because you didn't have to ask. I would have responded to it without you even asking." He said. She smiled and for a moment she felt like everything might be okay.

The next morning Rick, who always gets up first, emerged from his cell to see Daryl and Daryl's daughter curled together with a blanket, sleeping soundly. He smiled and then went to work on the crops.

It became very clear how much Aaron cared about him when she heard about what happened at Woodbury when they went to save Glenn and Maggie.

"Where's my dad?" Aaron asked

"Gone" Rick was quiet

"What?"

"Merle, he was at Woodbury. He got kicked out saving Daryl. We wouldn't let him in the prison. Daryl left with him. I'm sorry."

Aaron slapped Rick in the face.

Everyone stopped, shocked at her behavior. She had never been this mad but clearly she was now.

"You let my dad and uncle go to their deaths?!" She was seething.

"Daryl chose to leave-"

"You honestly thought he would leave Merle? Really? You're delirious!"

"You have to calm down. We couldn't let Merle into the camp."

"Why?"

"He's dangerous!"

"He saved my life once! If he hadn't of been there and those two walkers had gotten in, Andrew and I would have died. And if you hadn't come back looking for his dumb ass, I would have never become a part of this group, or did you forget that?!"

"That doesn't change the fact that he tried to kill Glenn and Maggie!"

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did he do that? Wait, lemme guess, loyalty."

"Well, I guess, technically."

"Why did he get kicked out of Woodbury?"

"I told you, he saved Daryl."

"So it was his loyalty to his little brother."

"Sure, you could look at it that way."

"Alright. That's all I need." Aaron picked up her backpack and walked out of the cell block. She opened the gate to the courtyard and she stepped out.

"What are you doing?" Rick asked, following her. Everyone else was watching from a far.

"Leaving."

"Oh no you aren't. I promised your dad I would keep you safe and that would be that exact opposite."

"Don't care."

"You're not leaving. Daryl said-"

"Daryl ain't here is he! I'm going to find him and you're not gonna stop me."

"I'm sorry but I'm not letting you." He grabbed her arm and Aaron drew on him. The dynamic changed. Rick backed down, raising his arms in surrender.

"No offense Rick. I love you, I really do, but fuck off. I'm going to find my dad." She left the prison.

It only took two minutes for Maggie to appear next to her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you this. It's a map marking the last place we saw them. With your skills, you should be able to track them from there."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Bring him back safe." Maggie said. They hugged and then Maggie ran back to the prison.

Maggie had been right. When she got to the place on the map, it didn't take long for her to track them down.

"Dad!" She yelled. Him and Merle stopped walking and he turned. Daryl looked at her.

"What are you doing here? I told Rick-"

"Yeah, I know. He tried to stop me but he couldn't."

"Go back to the prison." Daryl ordered.

"No."

"What did you just say to me?" Daryl looked mad.

"I'm not going anywhere without you." She held her ground.

"Whoa, whoa little brother. This is your daughter, am I right?" Merle said

"I am."

"She looks familiar. Have I met you before little lady?"

"You saved my life once, back in Atlanta. “Aaron told him.

"Right! In that building where I cut off my hand. I saved you and your brother. Is he back at the prison?"

"No. He's dead. Has been for a little while now."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"You called it. You were right."

"What?" Merle became confused.

"As you left the building you told us we wouldn't survive if we were 'fucking stupid' and Andrew left the prison. He did something stupid and now he's dead" she said.

Merle turned to Daryl.

"I like her. She tells it how it is." Then he turned back to her.

"I was wrong." Merle said. "Clearly, you're still here and you left the safety of the prison which was stupid. So maybe it's not the dumb ass people, like you and me, who die. It all just goes to chance. That's how life works missy."

"You don't sound like the Merle I remember or the Merle Daryl told me about."

"Yeah well being a loud mouthed hick wasn't getting me anywhere. I changed cuz' the world did."

"Yeah, you are so not Merle."

"No. I guess not. I'll still kill ya if you try something smart though."

"That's better." She laughed. Daryl was still quiet.

"Are you gonna say something or are you just gonna stand there?" She asked.

"It's too late for you to go back to the prison tonight. You can go back tomorrow."

"I only go if you do."

"You don't tell me what to do. I am the parent."

"I don't care. You are the only family I have left. You are not allowed to leave me behind. Please dad. Please."

They went with her. Merle actually became a big part of her life. He pissed her off sometimes but he became a good uncle.

One night, the two of them sat in the prison, just talking.

"Why did you do it?" Aaron asked.

"Do what?" Merle replied

"Save my life. You didn't know me back then. You didn't know Andrew either. So why did you save us?"

"I had a feeling you would do something important and I was right"

"What have I done that's important?"

"You changed Daryl. He was never the most sentimental of people, my little brother, you seem to have changed that. He loves ya. You are important to him." Merle said.

"How could you have possibly known that?"

"I don't know. Gut feelin' I guess." Merle said. She smiled. Aaron stood up and then leaned down and kissed him on the forehead.

"Goodnight Merle. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight" He said. She began to leave his cell then she stopped.

"I love you." She said. He paused.

"I love ya too kid." Those were the first time those words had left his lips. She smiled at him the left the room.

She went to the perch where her and her dad slept.

"Hey dad." She said sitting down. He was sharpening his and her knives.

"Hey baby. Where you been?" He asked.

"I was just talking to Merle."

"What were you two talkin' about?"

"Nothing really. He told me he loves me." She said. Daryl stopped sharpening.

"He said what?"

"He said he loved me. Is that bad?"

"No. He's just never said that before." Daryl said. She smiled.

"Well he said it to me."

"Interesting."

"I guess. I'm going to bed now, night dad. I love you."

"I love you too."

Merle took Michonne into the trading point a few days later but when he never came back, her and Daryl became worried. They went to find him and make sure he was alive.

He wasn't.

Finding him as a walker devastated Her and Daryl. When Daryl just kept pushing him away and not killing him she knew what she had to do.

Aaron stabbed her uncle in the head.

It took over a month for Daryl to start acting like himself again, but he did. She helped him. She helped him in more way than one.

When Daryl was mad, she was the only thing that could calm him down. Like when Rick kicked out Carol. He was angry, so angry he punched Rick in the the face. He would have hurt him more if she hadn't interfered.

"Daryl!" People were screaming. The loudest among them was Carl. Maggie was holding Carl back to keep him from getting hurt.

Daryl hadn't listened to reason and of course he had taken to the trade his father and brother had taught him, hitting. He punched Rick again. Everyone was standing in the courtyard watching. They had gathered. She had been one of the last ones to the scene because she had been on the other side of the courtyard fence, helping rid of the walker build up.

Aaron had gotten there as fast as she could to see what was going on but the crowd kept her away.

"Daryl, stop!" Glenn said. Daryl ignored him. Then, she stepped out of the crowd after struggling through the group. Everyone had tried to stop her but she insisted she could help.

Daryl was holding Rick by his collar, lifting him slightly in the air.

"Dad." She said quietly. He ignored her. She stepped closer.

"Don't!" Glenn yelled, grabbing her arm. She shook it off.

"Dad!" This time she was louder and this time she placed her hand on his arm. He softened slightly at his touch. He looked mortified and he put Rick down quickly.

"Rick. I'm sorry. I have no idea what came over me."

Everyone was shocked that he had said that because that was very unlike Daryl. Then they realized how much he really loved that girl. Aaron was only one who could talk sense into him when he needed a reality check and he did. Carol did an immoral thing and she had to be stopped. Rick had to think about what she had done and he wanted to keep everyone else out of danger.

Carol was gone. She had sacrificed two peoples lives and her safety to stop the disease from spreading but her sacrifice was in vein. She wanted to stop the disease from spreading but she didn't. More people died and eventually they had to quarantine all of the sick people.

At first they had a doctor she never learned the name of taking care of the infected but when he became sick they had to have another option. People went on a run to the college to get medical supplies but not before Hershel volunteered to replace the other doctor. Maggie told him not to. He did it anyways.

Then Aaron volunteered. Daryl was having nothing of it.

"No! Are you crazy?!"

"Dad, I want to help." She pleaded

"Absolutely not! I refuse to loose you and that is one sure fire way to get you killed." He told her.

"Dad. Come on. I have been training with Hershel since the day Carl got shot. I'm the most qualified to help!"

"I said no and that's final!" He yelled. Aaron didn't argue further.

"Alright." She gave in.

"Now I'm going on the run to get medical supplies. You will not go in that cell block; do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"I'm asking everyone to keep an eye on you. You won't be able to get in there no matter how hard you try."

He was wrong. She had slipped in very easily once he left, and once she was in, she wasn't allowed back out.

"What are you doing here? I thought your dad told you, you were not allowed in here?" Hershel asked calmly.

"Oh he did. Then he left." Aaron told him. She wrapped a bandana around her mouth for a small amount of protection.

"What?"

"I'm not allowed in here but here I am and no one can force me out because once you’re in, there's no out."

"Daryl is not going to be pleased."

"Yeah well he's not here so he will just have to get over it."

Aaron kept herself pretty separated from the people but she kept them comfortable, changing sheets, getting water, feeding, and putting them down when necessary.

Hershel appreciated everything that Aaron did and the two of them became very close, them being the only not sick people in a group of dying individuals. He was like the grandfather she never had.

When Daryl and the rest of the group returned with the supplies and dropped them off, she was the one who picked them up.

"What the hell?" He asked through the door. She pulled her bandana off and smiled brightly. She waved at him through the glass.

"What are you doing in there?!" Daryl yelled.

"Helping." She responded simply. She opened the door a sliver and pulled the bag through before he could stop her.

"I told you not to go in there!"

"Yes, and I ignored you. See how that works?"

"You disobeyed me?!"

"Yeah and I would do it again if it means that I can help." She told him. He looked to be fuming.

"If this were any other situation you would come in here but they are so low in numbers that you know you can't afford to get sick so you won't. Be logical dad. I'm saving people. I refuse to be a coward. I have to do my part and be strong, you taught me that. You really expected any different?"

Daryl was scared and he knew he couldn't loose her but he also knew she was right.

“If you die in there I will never forgive you." Daryl said.

“Understood.” Aaron responded. She placed her hand on the glass window and he placed his in the same spot. The other people were given the all clear first. At the end, she stood at the door and Hershel inspected her. She was fine, better than fine actually. She was alive.

When she was given the all clear and she came out the first thing she did was launch herself into his arms.

"Thank God. I was scared you might never come out." He told her. She hugged him tighter.

"I love you." She said.

"I love you too." He said. She pulled back. "Never scare me like that ever again."  
She smiled.

"I promise with all my heart; I will never scare you like that again." Aaron said. Daryl pulled her in for a hug. They were quiet for a moment.

"You're a liar." He said. They both laughed. 

A few months after the disease was taken care of the Governor showed up. He had Michonne and Hershel as hostages. She was scared. She loved both of the people sitting there and the Governor had Michonne’s katana held against Hershel's neck. He was threatening someone she loved and she was so mad about it.

Rick was trying to talk sense into him but it wasn't working. He raised the sword.

"NO!" Aaron screamed. It was so loud everyone stopped what they were doing, including the Governor. She opened the gate and everyone grabbed to stop her but she was down before anyone could stop her.

She stood next to Rick and everyone was silent.

"That man is someone I love and I have lost too many people to loose him too. This is our home. We lost people to get this home. We have people we love buried here. T-Dawg, Karen, Andrew. These were people we loved who are here, in the soil, forever and there are so many more. We are willing to share what we have but you can't just take our home from us!"

"You took my home from me!"

"You took your home from yourself and you got your people killed in the process. You murdered people and you still lost it. You killed my uncle and my friend there. Merle and Andrea are dead because of you and yet I'm still willing to live with you under the same roof because everyone deserves a chance." Aaron stopped and so did the Governor.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"That depends. I'm either your saving grace or your worst nightmare. Which one I am is up to you and you alone." She took a breath before continuing.

"Just put the sword down and we can both survive. We can live together in peace and we can help each other. If you put that sword down I will come open that gate myself. Please. We can both make it out. We can all live."

The governor seemed to actually be considering it. Daryl had never been more proud of his daughter because she stood up for what she believed in and she almost stopped a war.

Almost.

"Liar" He brought the Katana down on Hershel's neck.

"NO!" She couldn't really tell who screamed it, it could have Rick or Beth or Maggie or anyone really. She was too busy looking at Michonne’s face to have any idea what the hell was going on. Michonne officially look like she had broke.

Shots started firing and Aaron ducked, then ran across the field.

"Michonne! Get down!" She yelled. Michonne's eyes widened and she dropped to the ground then rolled out of sight.

She was trying to find a way out of the fence to Michonne and Hershel's body. She had to be able to put him down and save him and she had to kill the Governor but she couldn't get there. No matter how hard she tried, she knew she couldn't make it over there without being shot. Then the fence went down and walkers began to infiltrate. The only thing she could do was run to the woods.

She was running away when the fence fell that's the last Daryl saw her for a long time.  
Daryl couldn't find her. He had become terrified about what could have happened to her. She could be all alone. She could be dead. What if she was gone? What if he never saw her again? 

He honestly didn’t know what to do. He was stuck and paralyzed by fear that Aaron could be gone. 

She thought the same about him. Then she found Michonne, who was alone and trying to find the group. Together they found Rick and Carl. The four of them worked together to find the rest of their family.

She and Carl became closer everyday but then, one night while on the road again, her and Carl because closer than she thought possible.

They were sitting inside an abandoned car in the back seat. Michonne and Rick were sleeping in the front. The didn't know what time it was but it was late.

"I get it." He had said this out of no where. She tilted her head.

"Get what?"

"The devastation when you lost Andrew. I imagined it would be painful but I didn't understand just how painful until I actually went through it." He said. She looked at him and for the fist time since she buried her brother she was about to cry for him.

"It's like having your heart ripped out, pulled apart piece by piece, put back together, and then put back into your chest. It's so much worse than I ever thought."

"Yeah. That's a pretty good way to describe it." She agreed. For a moment she pulled herself together. She wasn't going to cry. She looked like she would be okay but then, like a falling building, she collapsed into Carl's arms and she hugged him tightly as she sobbed.

They both pulled back and then, almost like a movie scene, he kissed her and she kissed him back.

After that, they started dating. Aaron felt safer knowing that he was always there he knew how she felt. He felt safer knowing that someone other than his dad truly cares about him, even after everything he had done. Even after all the bad things he had done she still wanted to be with someone like him him and that was a feeling he would never forget, ever.

It was less than a week later when Aaron saw her dad again.

There were men threatening her family. They had her and Carl on the ground and they had pulled guns on Rick and Michonne. Aaron knew they were going to die and she was so terrified. She wasn’t ready to go; she had fought too hard to give up now. She was crying when she heard it. 

"Wait!" She heard. She stopped dead. She knew his voice immediately. He was alive. Her dad was here and he was alive.

"Let them go." He ordered

"Why should we?" She heard

"Because they are my family. I understand your angry and you want blood. If you want it, just take mine."

"Dad no!" She yelled. He whipped his head towards her. They all laughed.

"She's your daughter?" One asked.

"She'll be quite fun to ruin." Another claimed. Daryl stepped forward to defend her but he was thrown back.

"No!" Aaron screamed. She began to struggle under the weight of someone else but it was no use. Held the knife to her throat. She was squirming under him and she crying.  
Then she heard an awful cracking noise. The man turned and in the process he moved the knife and cut her face. She screamed. She heard some gunshots and then the man was lifted off of her. She opened her eyes to see her dad beating the shit of the man who tried to take her life away. She heard his skull crack and then Daryl ran to her.

He pulled her up and examined the cut on her face. Then he smiled.

"I found you." He said. She began to cry.

"I thought you were dead."

He pulled her close and she sobbed as Rick stabbed a man over and over and over.  
The next morning, she was lying in a car, sleeping next to Carl and her dad was talking to Rick and Michonne.

They were talking about the place they had been going to from the start. They decided to go to Terminus.

She was walking quietly along the path and her dad was walking next to her. She was silent and so was everyone else. The walked along the train tracks for a while and then they walked through the woods. Looking through the fence to see what Terminus was like. They buried their guns in the forest, 'just in case' was Ricks reason.

After that they went into to Terminus. They were cautious and for good reason. There was something fishy. The people led them to a courtyard and handed them food but when Aaron went to eat it Rick knocked it out of her hand. He was aiming his gun at a man. He threatened him.

Everyone followed in his footsteps. Aaron held up her gun and pointed at a man.

"Where did you get that watch?" Rick asked. She saw it and realized whose it was. She got mad.

Gareth emerged and he tried to calm the situation down.

"Put the gun down Rick." Gareth demanded.

"I won't ask you again. The watch, where did you get it?"

"We found it on dead man. Along with the poncho and the riot gear you keep eying." 

Rick put the gun closer to the mans temple.

Then he used him as a shield from shots.

They were running as fast as they could, trying to get out but they couldn't. They were surrounded. They threw down their weapons.

"Ring leader." Gareth called out. Rick looked up at him.

"You go and stand in front of that train car. If you go, he can come with you. If you don't he will die and you will go in there anyways." He yelled, referring to Carl. Rick walked over to the car.

"Now the archer." He commanded. "I will give you the same offer as your leader. Go and she goes. Stay and she dies then you go anyways." He gave Daryl the same offer and he took it.

Daryl walked over, never taking his eyes off of Aaron.

"Finally the samurai." He said. Michonne sat still for a moment. "Or they die." She looked at Carl and Aaron for another split second and then she reluctantly looked towards the train car and then stood in line.

"Walk into the car in that that order. Ring leader, archer, samurai. That order or they die."

"My son!" Rick cried

"And my daughter!" Daryl continued. 

Aaron and Carl were across from each other and staring in to the others eyes. She was in tears and he looked angry. Gareth was going to kill them. She grabbed Carl’s hand and he squeezed it. 

This was it. It was over. They were dead and there was nothing they could do about it.

Then, Gareth gestured for them to go get in line.

They sighed in relief and walked over to the car, still hand in hand.

"Get in line, boy then girl, and let go of each other!" Gareth yelled. They reluctantly let go and stood where they were told.

The door somehow opened itself. They stood for a second.

"Go!" Gareth screamed.

Everyone began to walk in. Rick, Daryl, Michonne. Carl stepped in and then he held his hand out to help her in. She took it and he began to pull her in. Then, she was pulled away and the door was shut.

There was banging. Her dad and Carl. They were screaming. She could hear them try to open the door, clawing at it, but they couldn't open it.

“Aaron!” Carl screamed 

“Let her go you bastards!” Daryl was louder than Carl. He was banging on the door. Aaron was screaming and kicking as the man who had pulled her away dragged her further and further from her family.

“Let me go you bitch!” Aaron screamed defiantly. 

He didn’t. 

She was thrown in a dark room where she sat alone for days, no food, no water, nothing. One day the man who had thrown in there came back. He handed her a small cup of water and couple crackers, nothing substantial, just enough to keep her alive. He watched her as she ate.

“Why am I here?” She asked

“I can’t say.” Was his response. He picked up the cup off the floor. He looked at her sympathetically and that’s when Aaron realized what was about to happen. The man gave her one more cracker and she ate it quietly. Aaron could tell this man didn’t like what they were doing but her feared that they would kill him or someone he loved if he fought against them.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered

“Its okay.” Aaron assured “This isn’t your fault.” The man looked as if he wanted to say something but before he could someone else walked in.

“Cal, are you finished?” The new man asked. Cal nodded his head. He walked over to the door.

“Shut the door on your way out” The man continued. 

“Yes sir.” Cal reached the doorway, stopped, looked at Aaron one more time, then he slowly shut the door on is way out. Immediately, the other man snapped his head towards her. He stepped towards her and she took a step back.

"What do you want from me?" She asked him. He smirked.

"You should guess." He walked closer to her and she backed up again. This time, Aaron ran into a wall. He grabbed her wrists.

You can guess what happened next.

That happened again and again and it wasn't always the same man. It was many different ones. It kept happening and then it stopped. She once again sat alone in a dark room by herself.

A few days later Cal came in but this time he had another girl. He helped her up her get up and the other girl was thrown on the floor where she was supposed to be. Cal walked Aaron towards the door. She gave the other girl a sad look. She knew the torture she was about to be subjected to and she wanted to stop it from happening but she couldn't. The other girl merely smiled sadly in understanding.

Then Aaron was brought outside.

It was extremely bright and she felt blinded by the light but that didn't last for long because she was thrown in a train car.

Aaron sat silently on the ground for a moment then movement came from the shadows.

"Oh my god." She heard a voice say. She knew who it was.

"Daddy?" She asked. He emerged into the small amount of light and he was crying.

"Aaron, oh god. I thought they had killed you." He moved towards her and then sat.

"They did so much worse." She cried. He knew what she meant. He moved the dirty matted hair she had out of her face. He was so mad.

"I'm going to kill them." He swore. She just stared. He tried to help her up but she winced. She couldn't move anymore.

"I can't. It hurts." She whispered. He kneeled down and he picked her up. He carried her to the shadows where he had been. He set her down.

Carl walked cautiously towards her. She flinched. Carl sat down next to her and he lifted her chin up with his fingers. She swatted him away.

"Don't. I'm gross and ugly and disgusting. I'm not good enough for someone like you." Aaron was repeating everything all the men had told her.

He merely lifted her chin up again. He stared into her eyes for a moment and then he kissed her sweetly. He let go before she did.

"No matter what they do to you, you will always be the most beautiful person in my life and I will always love you." He pulled her in close and she began to cry.

"I'm so sorry." He said. Aaron just continued to cry. He was in pain having to listen to it.

She didn't really talk much after that. She just sat quietly in the corner, either curled up in her dad’s arms or Carl's. Other people sat with her sometimes, like Rick or Glenn or Maggie, but she didn't talk to them either.

Once Glenn tried to hug her. She flinched away.

"I know you think that we shouldn't love you and that you are worthless but you are so wrong. We all love you so much and I missed you. Please. Please let me hug you." She was still and quiet for a moment. Then she launched herself into his arms. Everyone had been shocked but he had clearly said exactly what she needed to hear.

They knocked everyone out a few days later.

When they came to, all the men were gone. She was worried and scared. What if she never saw her dad again? What if he died and she was left all alone?

She had these thoughts for hours until the doors opened. When she left the car she was told to run.

She started to run towards the fence but she stopped when she saw Cal. He wasn’t technically Cal anymore, now he was a walker. She ran over to him and kicked him down then stabbed in in the head with a knife she had gotten from Rick, then she ran back to the group.

When they reached the spot where everyone was stopping together, Aaron stopped at looked around.

"Where's my dad?" She asked Rick. He opened his mouth to answer but he didn’t get a chance

"I'm right here." Daryl said from behind her. She ran to him and he lifted her up. She was relieved. They made it out and her dad was okay.

She couldn't help but thank the god she didn't believe in anymore.

They walked for a while and then they got to the church. This is where Aaron found out she might be pregnant.

Tara was the person who said it. Aaron had just thrown up in the bushes and then she sat down next to Tara and she took a small sip of water.

"That's the third time you've thrown up this morning. And that's every morning you've been throwing up for at least four days" Tara pointed out.

"Yeah, what about it?" She asked.

"You don't find that a bit odd?"

"I didn't really notice." She admitted.

"What if you're pregnant?" Tara threw that out there as if it didn’t really matter. Aaron spit her drink out.

"What?"

"What if you are?" Tara repeated.

"I can't be pregnant I mean, that's ridiculous." She laughed it off.

"I'm serious. Think about it."

And she did.

That was the most logical explanation for everything.

That talk with Daryl was hard. She had pulled him into another room to do it.

"Dad. I need to tell you something." She said. He tilted his head in confusion.

"What is it?" Daryl asked.

"I think I'm pregnant." She said. He thought for a moment before he stood.

"I will kill Grimes." Daryl said. He had his crossbow in his hand. He was out the door before she could stop him.

"Dad! No!" She ran out after him. She arrived outside to see Carl, standing with his arms in surrender as her dad held his crossbow at him.

"Daryl what the hell?" Carl asked.

"Dad!" She yelled. He ignored her.

"You got my daughter pregnant?! Are you an idiot?!" Was screamed. Everyone and outside and their faces were on her.

"What?" Carl asked. He turned to face her "You're pregnant?"

"I don't know." She admitted. He looked flabbergasted.

"Dad. Carl and I never had sex." She told him. He finally looked at her.

"What?" He said.

"You forgot so quickly?" She asked as a tear fell. He stopped for a second then he had a moment of realization.

"The men at Terminus" He said.

"Now you get it." She said. He stopped then he placed the crossbow on the ground. He walked over to her and he pulled her into a hug.

When he let go Aaron was crying. She backed away from him.

"Can I just have a minute?" She asked.

She walked away before she heard his response.

It was only 10 minutes later that Carl showed up. He sat down on the curb right next to her. He didn't say anything, but he pulled her into his chest. She snuggled into it and she cried. He kissed her forehead.

"It's okay."

"No. It's not. What the hell am I going to do?" She asked

"Whatever you want."

"I don't know what I want but I sure as hell don't want this fucking kid." She responded.

"You don't even know if you're pregnant."

"Yes I do. It's the only plausible explanation. Nothing else works. For all my symptoms, pregnancy makes the most sense." She told him. She looked up at him and he looked back down at her.

"I'm just so mad and I don't know what to do." She told him.

"We will figure it out. We always do and this time won't be any different. Everything will work out." Carl said. She pulled back slightly from his chest and kissed him. Then, she pulled Carl's hat off of his head and put it on hers.

The pregnancy was confirmed two weeks later after she was given a test. She was worried about being a parent, especially a single one and in this world it's even worse. That's when Carl stepped in.

"What do you mean you're gonna be a single parent, did you forget I exist?"

"What?" Aaron asked

"It's biological father is a deadbeat rapist and we don't even know who it is. I'm it's real father. I don't care about genes. That child is mine." Carl responded 

She was in tears and she ran and hugged him. Rick was so proud of his son and Daryl was happy that he was who his daughter chose to date.

"Thank you." She told him. He smiled in response.

A few weeks later her dad went missing she became worried. It was so easy for him to just go missing. She mostly sat quiet in the church and didn’t say anything. She was waiting for him.

When she saw her dad again, he was carrying the dead body of Beth Greene. He was stumbling and he was crying and it was heartbreaking. Aaron was so mad that someone so good had died.

It broke Maggie.

The group was approached by a man soon after that. His name was Aaron. He saw them after the death of Tyreese, which was a hard death for them to swallow so soon after Beth.

He told them about Alexandria and he promised them a better life.

They took the chance.

They were right too. They had a society that she could have never dreamed of today. Her and her dad slept in a house with their own room. They were together and they felt as if nothing could tear them apart.

It only lasted so long.

Noah died and Glenn saw it. It changed him and he was always on edge. It changed her too because Noah was always one to make her smile and now he was gone.

The worst thing was when Reggie died. Pete cut his neck with the katana that belonged to one of the mother like figures in her life. Pete was dead after that because Rick shot him.

That changed the group dynamic because once again, Rick was back in charge and once again, he was slightly insane. He was different.

Morgan came back.

She remembers the last time she saw Morgan; he was tied up where Rick put him in a very well protected building. He looked awful then but now, now he looked much better.

It wasn't until the next morning that she became aware that she should be worried. Pete was dead. No one here had sufficient enough skills to deliver a baby. She was scared. What was she gonna do? How could she survive this? She couldn't survive. There was no way.

She was going to have to die.

Upon that revaluation she decided she should spend as much time with her family as she could and with her dad gone a lot she was left stay in the house with Carl and Judith most of the time. This is where she was when the wolves hit.

She was two weeks over eight months pregnant and she had a hard time moving. There was a scream and she was up. She waddled down the stairs and she looked at Carl.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked. He looked back at her.

"I don't know" he responded. She went over to the desk and she picked up the gun in the drawer before locking it. Then she went around locking up all of the guns and she took the keys and placed them under the loose floor board and she kicked it in. She heard the side door being messed with. She waddled over to the door then she pointed her gun at it. The door opened and Edith emerged through it.

"Edith, what the hell?" She asked. Edith raised her arms in surrender.

"What are you doing?" Carl asked.

"Returning these." Edith said, holding up the keys. "Didn't think they should have them and I'm leaving."

"Oh no you aren't" she said.

"What?" Edith asked.

"You aren't going anywhere. You're staying here and you're helping me because I can not protect Judith very well while waddling and Carl is busy saving everyone else's ass because that's who he is. I need you're help and that means you aren't going anywhere."

Edith opened her mouth to argue, shut it, opened it again and then she shut it a final time. She then nodded her head.

"Good." She told her. Edith set her bag down and took her gun out of it.

They stayed there until they looked out the window.

"Carl!" She screamed. He ran down the stairs of the house, where he had been with Judith, and she pointed outside. He ran out and he shot the leg of a wolf. Aaron was outside holding a gun on him. The man begged for his life and Carl almost gave it to him. Then there was a struggle. She aimed and she took the shot.

The bullet went right through the mans head and Carl stepped back. He smiled at her and she smiled back then she turned to Ron.

"Ron! Come inside. We can protect you." She promised. He looked at her, the Edith, then Carl.

"No, not with him there!" Ron replied. She gave him a sad look.

"Ron please! Don't die because you're being stubborn. We just want to help." She said.

"I'm sorry but I can't. Not with him. It hurts too much."

They went inside without him but when they got there, a note was under the door.

Just stay safe

Edith had clearly written it but she was no where to be seen. She was gone.

They gathered the troops after the attack and found they had far less people then they did before. They needed everyone back. Everyone wanted their families.

Aaron wanted her dad.

She didn't know what she would do without him. She needed him to be alright and be safe but she didn't know. She had no idea if he was okay but if she wasn't she wouldn't be able to live. She loved Carl and she had a baby she was going to have to take care of but her dad was the not important person in her life.

He needed her too.

He was on his bike and he had no clue whether she was safe or not. She could be dead. Everyone could be dead. What if they were all gone and he would never see his baby girl again. He couldn't take it. That would kill him.

They loved each other so much it physically hurt them both to not know if they are safe.

She knew that the apocalypse was bad. She knew that the reason her biological parents were dead was because of this apocalypse. She knew the reason her brother was dead was because of this apocalypse. She knew the reason she was worried about her dad was because of this apocalypse but she also knew she would have never met him or Carl without it.

Perhaps the apocalypse was a slight blessing, if they all made it out at least.

She went into labor the next day. She was either 2 weeks early or she didn't count right.

She was scared and Carl was scared and she didn't know what to do.

She was trying not to scream so that walkers didn't hear her. She was practically squeezing Carl's hand off in the process. Carol was there because she was slightly trained for this along with Maggie.

"Carl. I'm so tired." She complained. He moved the sweat covered hair off her face and then he kissed her forehead.

"I know but you're so close. You can do this and you will both make it." He promised. She nodded her head.

"Okay, push." Carol demanded. She did as she was told.

"We can see the head, one more!" Maggie assured.

"You've got this. Go." Carl said. She pushed for ten seconds and then it was over. The baby was here.

"It's a boy" Maggie said. Everyone was crying. Maggie handed her the baby and she held him close.

"Any thoughts on names?" Carl asked her.

"Andrew. Andrew Merle Grimes." She answered. Carl laughed.

"Merle?" He asked.

"It'll make Daryl happy and at then end of it all he wasn't that bad. Besides, he was technically my uncle, shouldn't I honor him?" Carl smiled

"It's perfect." He said before kissing her forehead.

The happiness didn't last long however because walkers ruined it. They were forced out. There home, the place they were safe. It was gone. They we back out in the wild. The only issue was she wasn't with them.

She was alone and afraid.

When the walkers hit she couldn't find her dad but she knew he wasn't dead which mean she had to find him.

"Leave it, Carl!"

"No. I'm not leaving you!"

"Carl, get Andy out and leave me. I have to find him. I'll find you when I get him and I out."

"I can't. I can't leave you behind."

"Please. He's too important to die. You have to get the hell out and you have to leave me because if I don't find him and if I don't make it then you have too. Andrew has too." He was crying but he nodded his head. She held Andrew tight for what could be the last time. She kissed the baby’s forehead and then, sobbing, she handed her baby boy over to his father. She kissed Carl's lips like it was her last time because it very well could be. Then he was gone.

She broke her father and her boyfriends heart into millions of tiny little pieces because they had believed her to be dead.

But she was alive and she had to stay that way. She knew living is the most important thing. She had to survive.

And she did.

They found her. Some had returnd to Alexandria to find their dead loved ones. They expected it to be overrun but day by day she had been cleaning it up, rebuilding.  
It was hospitable again. She made it that way.

Everyone was confused when they saw a clean Alexandria but one that looked abandoned. If it was clean who cleaned it?

They found the graves. All the people who had died that they loved were buried and their names had been poorly carved into rocks.

People were able to mourn their dead.

Daryl and Carl looked for hers but it wasn't there.

"Where is it?" Daryl asked. "Someone buried all the dead and gave them headstones so why didn't she get one?"

"Because I'm not dead." She appeared from her hiding spot. She looked at her family and they looked so different. The were covered in sweat and dirt. Carl was missing his eye. If it had been a different time, Aaron would have been surprised but seeing as dead people came back to life, she hardly even thought about it. Daryl looked roughly the same but his hair was pulled back into a bun.

“You two don’t even look like you. A bun dad, really?” 

Daryl dropped his crossbow and ran towards her. He grabbed her into a hug.

"Oh my god. You're alive." They held each other tight. She knew it had been almost three months since she had seen them and she was so happy. They came back. She knew they would but here they were back with her.

Daryl set her down and she looked at Carl. He was still standing in his spot, clearly in shock. Then, slowly he moved towards her. He stopped in front of her and he reached his hand out. His hand made contact with her face and she melted into it. She closed her eyes, tears falling. He pulled her into him. When they pulled back she pulled him back in and kissed him. Their foreheads continued to touch.

"We thought you were dead." He admitted. "It almost killed me."

"Well I'm fine. I survived."

"Don't you ever scare me like that again." He ordered.

"I promise I won't." She told him. They stepped back.

"Where's Andrew?" She began to become worried.

"He's with Glenn. He's fine, amazing in fact."

"Can I see him?" She asked.

"Of course." Carl said. He led her to Glenn, who was outside the walls, hidden, which she guessed was to protect Andrew

"Holy shit, you're alive." He said.

"Yeah well, you know me. Resilient and stubborn." She told him. Then she looked at Andrew.

"Oh my god. He's so beautiful." She said. Glenn smiled at him.

"He takes after his mom." Glenn said. She smiled and then she held her hands out.

"May I?" She asked.

"Of course!" Glenn walked over to her and placed Andrew in her arms. She couldn't hold back her sobs.

"I thought I would never see him again." She admitted. He squirmed in her arm and then his eyes opened.

"He's got your eyes." Carl said. She laughed.

"Other than that he looks like you." She said. He laughed.

"Everyone says that which is funny since he has none of my genes." He said.

"We just got lucky I guess."

"Yeah. Yeah we did."

The next few months were peaceful. She and Carl got married. They were happy. Then it changed.

It seemed like another day but when Aaron walked outside with Andrew and Carl, there was a walker in the streets. Then another. Then another. She rang the bells and tried to get as many people out as she could while people fought and got together provisions. When they finally got out, there were far fewer people. The only people left were Rick, Carl, Andrew, Daryl, Judith, Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, Tara, Denise and then her.

There were so many dead that they couldn't even put them down.

As they drove away, Aaron stared out the back window and looked at Alexandria. She had worked so hard to keep that place safe and now it was gone. 

They all moved on. For a few months they all just traveled around and tried to stay alive, which proved to be much harder as the days progressed. The first to die after they left Alexandria was Denise. Tara was watching while Michonne retrieved supplies from a store when she was almost swarmed. Denise stepped in to save the woman she had fallen in love with and she was bit. Tara was crying and freaking out.

“I don’t know what to do.” Tara cried. Denise gave her a small smile

“Tara, there’s nothing you can do. I’m gone” Denise seemed to have understood and accepted her death. 

“You can’t leave me.” Tara was so upset.

“Tara, you are going to be just fine.” Denise told her. She brought her hand up and lovingly stroked Tara’s cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Tara said. Denise lasted a few more hours and then, Tara put her down. 

Next was Maggie. She was killed during childbirth and her baby died with her. They named her daughter Beth Maggie Rhee. They were buried together. 

Tara died next, sacrificing herself to save Andrew. A walker had gotten close to him when Tara didn’t have a weapon. She attacked it and ended up bit. Rick had shown up just a bit too late. It had devoured her alive. He killed it and then he killed her, but Andrew was safe, and Aaron was forever grateful

Michonne died while fighting a large group of walkers. Once again, someone Aaron loved died while fighting to save the other people. They couldn’t even find her body because she had been swarmed. Aaron had heard her screams and she had been horrified. 

Next was Glenn. A man named Neegan cut off his head and put it on a spike. Aaron did the same only she left him alive while she did it. He chomped and bit as his head was mounted. Aaron threw his alive head into a fire.

Judith went missing while Rick had been fighting walkers. They never found her. 

Rick had slowly gone crazy and when he almost got everyone killed in a swarm of walkers, Carl killed his own father to keep the rest of his family safe. He had been devastated but he knew that it was the right thing to do.

They wandered around for a while. They had been hunting when Aaron heard a gunshot. She ran towards it to see her dad bleeding out and all of his stuff missing.

“Dad!” She ran to him. Carl showed up with Andrew right after that.

“Oh no.” 

“Some bastard shot me in the back to rob me.” Daryl was trying to catch his breath but he couldn’t. 

“Don’t say anything.” Aaron said lovingly. She was sitting down, his head in her lap. 

“You were the best thing to ever happen to me.” He told her. He pushed the hair out of her face. “I love you.” He said

“I love you too. Thank you for being my dad.” She said. He was dead after that. She kissed his forehead then stabbed him through the head. She was in sobbing. 

They didn’t have time to bury him, there was to many threats and it was starting to get dark. They had to leave him. 

The three of them were together for a while before Carl got sick. He died in his sleep one night. Aaron had to put him down. She buried him in the forest and then her and Andrew moved on. 

“Mommy?” Andrew and Aaron were walking hand in hand down the road.

“Yes baby?” She asked, looking at him. 

“When is daddy coming back?” He asked. She stopped walking and stared forward for a second, remembering stabbing him in the head and burying him in the dirt. 

“Mommy?” he asked again. She snapped out of her flashback and kneeled in front of him.

“Your dad isn’t coming back. He’s gone baby.” She told him. Andrew paused.

“But I want him to come back.” Andrew said. Aaron stood up and began to walk again.

“Me too.”

A few months later, when Andrew was about five, the two of them were staying in a warehouse for a night. Aaron was searching around the building when something came out of nowhere. She screamed and Andrew, who had been told to say out of sight, got up from his spot and slowly walked towards the scream, and then stopped and sat back down. His mother told him to stay there so that was what he was going to do.

An hour later, when his mom hadn’t come back yet he decided he should check on her. He stood up and walked towards the room he had last seen his mom go in. He opened the door slowly and then closed it again, incase something showed up. He saw a figure walking slowly in the dark, and one on the ground. He stepped closer.

“Mommy?” He asked. He saw the face of the figure on the floor, barely, using the light from a small window and he didn’t recognize it. He still couldn’t tell who it was walking towards him.

“Mommy?” He asked again, the figure began moving a bit faster. Then he saw the face and realized it was his mother walking towards him.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?”

Then there was a scream.

Silence.


End file.
